Extra Weight Is Nothing but Trouble

Small studies have suggested that extra weight might protect against an early death, but researchers behind a large study of people with type 2 diabetes say the opposite is true. They followed more than 11,000 adults for an average of almost 16 years and initially found that overweight people had a lower risk of premature death than their normal-weight or obese peers. But when the researchers considered nonsmokers alone, they learned that being overweight or obese raised the risk of an early death. Including smokers—who may be thinner but are at greater risk for premature death—in past studies made excess weight seem positive, which it isn’t.Source:The New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 16, 2014